Mop head construction

ABSTRACT

This mop construction includes a flat bundle of parallel mop cords connected by a tape wrapped around the center portion. The taped connection is reinforced by a transverse clamping plate which is shorter than the width of the taped cord bundle to provide the mop with lateral cushioning pads. The clamping plate is disposed below the mop bundle and the fastening between the clamping plate and the taped bundle provides an elongate stem extending through the mop bundle and providing rigid attachment for the mop handle.

United States Patent Bouras [54] MOP HEAD CONSTRUCTION [72] Inventor: James R. Bouras, St. Louis, Mo.

[73] Assignee: Bouras Mop Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo.

[22] Filed: May 13, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 36,710

[52] [1.5. CL ..l5/229A [51 1 Int. Cl. ..A47l13/24 [58] FleldoISearch ..15/115,l47R,147A,l47B, l5/147 C, 151, 153, 228, 229 R, 229 A, 229 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,378,499 5/1921 Toplitz ..15/147 R 1,479,906 1/1924 Fisher ..15/153 1,899,283 2/1933 Lorang ..15/147 R X 3,081,474 3/1963 Modrak .....l5/229 A 1,115,442 10/1914 Lamb ....15/229 A 3,302,231 2/1967 Pettett ..15/229 A 51 Mar. 28, 1972 1,899,845 2/1933 Benedict ..15/229 A 1,707,608 4/1929 Glover 15/229 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 478,638 11/1951 Canada ..15/153 296,542 9/1928 Great Britain ..15/229 A Primary Examiner- Daniel Blum Attorney-Cohn and Powell 57] ABSTRACT This mop construction includes a flat bundle of parallel mop cords connected by a tape wrapped around the center portion. The taped connection is reinforced by a transverse clamping plate which is shorter than the width of the taped cord bundle to provide the mop with lateral cushioning pads. The clamping plate is disposed below the mop bundle and the fastening between the clamping plate and the taped bundle provides an elongate stem extending through the mop bundle and providing rigid attachment for the mop handle.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures MOP HEAD CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to mop construction and in particular to a reinforced mop head connection.

Although cord mops have been used for many years, there are still problems in their use and manufacture. One such problem concerns the stiffening or reinforcing of the mop head in such a manner that a handle may be secured thereto and a good connection maintained during thelife of the mop. In order to provide a satisfactory connection between the mop head and the handle, a rigid mop head frame, preferably of metal, is desirable. However, the connection of the mop bundle to the frame presents a problem in itself. This is due, not only to the inherent difficulty of attaching fabric material to a rigid frame so that the fabric will not pull away from the frame, but also because of the fact that a rigid frame is likely to come into direct damaging engagemept with walls and furniture located within the cleaning area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The mop head construction described herein includes a reinforced connection means in the form of a rigid frame for attaching the mop head to the handle. The mop cords are simply and effectively secured to the frame and the connection of parts provides the mop head with a cushioning means so that the reinforced connection is not susceptible to abrasive engagement with walls, floors and furniture.

The mop head includes a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in side-by-side relationto form a relatively flat cord bundle and transversely extending tape means is disposed in embracing relation-about said mop cords to define said cord bundle.

The taped cord bundle is reinforced by means of a clamping plate disposed in overlying relation on one side of the taped bundle, the clamping plate having a length shorter than the width of the taped bundle whereby said taped bundle extends beyond the clamping plate to provide opposing cushion portrons.

The clamping plate is attached to the underside of the taped bundle by fastening means which include a pair of opposed rivets and a central bolt. The central bolt passes through the taped bundle and the clamping plate and includes a bolt head, the underside of which engages the clamping plate, and an elongate stem which projects outwardly beyond the taped bundle. The rivets connect the clamping plate to the taped bundle and the bolt includes a lock nut and washer which provide a means of tightening the clamping plate against the taped bundle such that the clamping plate acts as a leaf spring insuring a tight connection of said plate to the taped bundle. The lock nut and spring arrangement insures that the project-- ing bolt stem is held securely, perpendicularly of the clamping plate and taped bundle at all times, and, in addition, the bolt and clamping plate provide a reinforcing T-frame. The mop handle includes a socketed end compatibly threaded to receive the bolt stem and attach the mop head to the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the mop head showing the handle connection;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the underside of the mop head, and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be understood that the mop comprises a mop head and an elongate handle 11 detachably attached thereto.

The mop head 10 includes a plurality of elongate mop cords indicated by numeral 12 and disposed in side-by-side, parallel relation, the cords 12 having substantially the same length.

The individual cords 12 are held together by an elongate overlapping tape 13 constituting a tape means which is wrapped about said cords 12 as indicated in FIG. 3 to provide a cord bundle 14 of two or three cords in thickness. The tape 13 includes upper and lower sides 15 and 16 and is stitched to the cord bundle 14 by a plurality of lines of stitches, generally indicated by numeral 17.

The taped cord bundle 14 is held in alignment by a clamping plate 20 which is attached to the tape 13 by means of a plurality of fasteners. In the preferred embodiment, the fasteners are provided by a pair of opposed rivets 21 and a central bolt 22. The central bolt 22 includes an elongate threaded stem 31 extending through and projecting beyond the taped bundle l4 andproviding a means by which the mop head 10 may be threadedly attached to the handle 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 11 includes a socketed ferrule 23 at its lower end, the ferrule 23 being compatibly threaded to receive said stem 31.

The clamping plate 20 not only provides a means by which the taped mop cords 12 may be tightly held in position, but in addition, stiffens the mop head at the point where reinforcing is most valuable, namely at the connection of the mop head 10 to the handle 11. Further, as is clearly shown in FIG. 3, the taped bundle 14 has an overall width in excess of the length of the clamping plate 20. Thus, the taped bundle 14 includes an intermediate portion 24, which is directly stiffened by the clamping plate 20, and a pair of end cushioning pad portions 25, said pad portions 25 being providedby the portions of the tape 13 which extend outwardly beyond the clamping plate 20 and the mop cords 12 disposed therewithin. It will be understood that the pad portions 25 preclude any possibility of damaging engagement between the clamping plate 20 and furniture or walls in the cleaning area, thereby obviating the possibility of inflicting scratches thereupon. It will also be understood that the clamping plate 20 is disposed below the taped bundle 14 rather than above it and because of this arrangement, the cords l2 and the tape 13 are virtually precluded from being pulled away from the clamping plate 20.

The clamping plate 20 is particularly adapted to hold the mop cord bundle 14 securely and to this end, the plate 20 is dished to provide an outer peripheral rim 26 disposed about an inner plate portion 27. The rivets 21 connecting the clamping plate 20 to the taped bundle 14 include enlarged heads 28 adjacent the upper side 15 of the tape 13 and the remote end 29 of each rivet 21 is spread against the outer face of the clamping plate inner plate portion 27. It will be understood that because of the peripheral rim 26, the clamping plate 20 is held by the rivets 21 and the bolt 22 against the tape 13 by a ring of relatively high pressure and that a tight, reinforced 7 connection is thereby assured. The bolt 22 is reversely positioned relative to the rivets 21 in that an enlarged head 30 is disposed on the underside of the mop bundle adjacent to the clamping plate 20. The bolt 22 extends between the upper and lower sides 15 and 16 of the tape 13 and projects upwardly beyond the upper side 15 to provide a connection for the handle 11. The resulting projecting stem 31 is held securely to the mop bundle 14 by virtue of self-locking nut 32 bearing on a washer 33. The stability of the projecting bolt stem 31 and the connection as a whole is considerably enhanced by virtue of the fact that the clamping plate 20 tends to act as a leaf spring when the nut 32 is tightened, thus augmenting the locking action of said nut 32. It will be understood that the resilience of the clamping plate 20 is inherently greater at its center than at its ends, particularly in view of the continuous nature of the peripheral rim 26 which stiffens the ends of the clamping plate 20 in the vicinity of the rivets 21. Thus, the more the nut 32 is tightened, the greater the stiffness of the projecting stem 31 because of the reaction between the underside of the bolt head 30 and the clamping plate 20. The clamping plate 20 and the bolt 22 therefore tend to act together as a T-shaped reinforcing frame.

It is believed that the functional advantages and the structural arrangement of the mop construction have become fully apparent from the foregoing description of parts but for completeness of disclosure, the manufacture of this item will be briefly summarized.

The basic cord bundle 14 is formed by arranging a plurality of the mop cords 12, preferably of the same length in side-byside relation two or three cords in depth and by wrapping a fabric tape 13 about said cords in stitched relation thereto to form a cord bundle 14. The clamping plate 20 is then attached to the lower side of the tape 13 and secured thereto by means of a pair of rivets 21 and a bolt 22. The overall width of the cord bundle 14 is greater than the length of the clamping plate 20 to provide a stiffened intermediate portion 24 and opposed end cushioning pads 25.

The bolt 22 is inserted through apertures provided in the clamping plate 20 and both sides 15 and 16 of the tape 13. When the lock nut 32 is tightened against the washer 33, the bolt stem 31 provides a rigid projection to which the handle 11 may be attached. The rigidity of the stem 31 and the pressure between the clamping plate 20 and the mop bundle 14 is enhanced by spring action of the portion of the clamping plate 20 extending between the rivets 21.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mop head construction for attachment to a handle, comprising:

a. a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation,

b. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords, and including opposed sides and opposed ends,

. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape means, and including:

1. a clamping plate including opposed ends and disposed in underlying relation on one of said sides of said tape means and having a length shorter than the distance between said ends of said tape means whereby the tape means extends outwardly beyond said clamping plate,

2. fastening means attaching the clamping plate to the taped mop cords,

. the tape means including an upper side and a lower side,

. the clamping plate being disposed adjacent the lower side of the tape means,

. the fastening means including a bolt having a head operatively disposed adjacent the clamping plate and a stern extending in locked relation between the opposed sides of the tape means, the stem projecting upwardly beyond the upper side and being adapted to attach the mop head to the handle,

the clamping plate being dished to provide a substantially continuous peripheral rim spaced from the bolt, and

h. the fastening means including a pair of spaced rivets interconnecting the upper side of the tape means to the opposed ends of the clamping plate, and

. the clamping plate being held by the rivets and bolt against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure.

A mop construction comprising:

a handle including a socket at one end,

a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation,

. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords and including opposed sides and opposed ends, said tape means forming said mop cords into a mop bundle having an intermediate portion and end cushioning portions,

. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape plate and a stem extending through the mop bundle and projecting therebeyond, said bolt belng threadedly received in the handle socket, 3. the clamping plate being held by the rivets and bolt against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure.

. A mop construction comprising:

a handle including a socket at one end, a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation,

. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords and including opposed sides and opposed ends, said tape means forming said mop cords into a mop bundle having an intermediate portion and end cushioning portions,

. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape means and including:

1. a clamping plate having a substantially continuous peripheral rim portion disposed in adjacent underlying relation on one of said tape sides, said plate defining the intermediate portion of the mop bundle, and

2. fastening means inwardly disposed of the rim and interconnecting the other of said tape sides to the clamping plate, the clamping plate being held by the fastening means against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure, the fastening means including a bolt having a stem extending from the clamping plate through the mop bundle and projecting therebeyond, said bolt being threadedly received in the handle socket. 

1. A mop head construction for attachment to a handle, comprising: a. a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation, b. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords, and including opposed sides and opposed ends, c. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape means, and including:
 1. a clamping plate including opposed ends and disposed in underlying relation on one of said sides of said tape means and having a length shorter than the distance between said ends of said tape means whereby the tape means extends outwardly beyond said clamping plate,
 2. fastening means attaching the clamping plate to the taped mop cords, d. the tape means including an upper side and a lower side, e. the clamping plate being disposed adjacent the lower side of the tape means, f. the fastening means including a bolt having a head operatively disposed adjacent the clamping plate and a stem extending in locked relation between the opposed sides of the tape means, the stem projecting upwardly beyond the upper side and being adapted to attach the mop head to the handle, g. the clamping plate being dished to provide a substantially continuous peripheral rim spaced from the bolt, and h. the fastening means including a pair of spaced rivets interconnecting the upper side of the tape means to the opposed ends of the clamping plate, and i. the clamping plate being held by the rivets and bolt against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure.
 2. fastening means attaching the clamping plate to the taped mop cords, d. the tape means including an upper side and a lower side, e. the clamping plate being disposed adjacent the lower side of the tape means, f. the fastening means including a bolt having a head operatively disposed adjacent the clamping plate and a stem extending in locked relation between the opposed sides of the tape means, the stem projecting upwardly beyond the upper side and being adapted to attach the mop head to the handle, g. the clamping plate being dished to provide a substantially continuous peripheral rim spaced from the bolt, and h. the fastening means including a pair of spaced rivets interconnecting the upper side of the tape means to the opposed ends of the clamping plate, and i. the clamping plate being held by the rivets and bolt against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure.
 2. A mop construction comprising: a. a handle including a socket at one end, b. a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation, c. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords and including opposed sides and opposed ends, said tape means forming said mop cords into a mop bundle having an intermediate portion and end cushioning portions, d. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape means and including:
 2. fastening means inwardly disposed of the rim and including a pair of opposed end rivets having enlarged heads adjacent one side of the tape means, and a central bolt, the bolt having a head adjacent the clamping plate and a stem extending through the mop bundle and projecting therebeyond, said bolt being threadedly received in the handle socket,
 2. fastening means inwardly disposed of the rim and interconnecting the other of said tape sides to the clamping plate, the clamping plate being held by the fastening means against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure, the fastening means including a bolt having a stem extending from the clamping plate through the mop bundle and projecting therebeyond, said bolt being threadedly received in the handle socket.
 3. the clamping plate being held by the rivets and bolt against the tape by a ring of relatively high pressure.
 3. A mop construction comprising: a. a handle including a socket at one end, b. a plurality of elongate mop cords disposed in substantially parallel relation, c. tape means transversely extending in embracing relation about said mop cords and including opposed sides and opposed ends, said tape means forming said mop cords into a mop bundle having an intermediate portion and end cushioning portions, d. reinforcing means disposed between the ends of the tape means and including: 